双语新闻：美国圣诞节的历史
Today, Steve Ember and Shirley Griffith present a special program on Christmas traditions in the United States during the first half of the 19th century.
今天，史蒂夫烬和雪莉格里菲斯提出了一个特别节目在美国的圣诞节传统在19世纪上半叶。
During this period, there was no set way of celebrating the day, which was not yet an official holiday. Communities around the country honored the day in different ways. Some observed Christmas as an important Christian religious day honoring the birth of Jesus. Others celebrated the day with parties, music, drinking and eating. And, some communities did not celebrate the day at all.
在此期间，没有固定的方式来庆祝这一天，这一天还不是一个官方节日。全国各地的社区以不同的方式纪念这一天。有些人认为圣诞节是一个重要的基督教宗教节日，纪念耶稣的诞生。其他人则通过聚会、音乐、喝酒和吃东西来庆祝这一天。而且，一些社区根本不庆祝这一天。
But, it was during this period that Americans began to reinvent the holiday. They combined ancient Christmas traditions from different cultures with modern American influences.
但是，正是在这一时期，美国人开始重新定义这个节日。他们将来自不同文化的古老圣诞节传统与现代美国的影响结合起来。
In 1819, the popular American writer Washington Irving wrote a series of five essays published in a book called The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.
1819年，美国著名作家华盛顿·欧文写了一系列五篇散文，发表在一本名为《根特郡杰弗里·克雷翁的素描本》的书中。
The essays describe a wealthy British landowner who invites his farm workers into his home to celebrate Christmas. The landowner recreates a traditional Christmas as it would have been celebrated in the distant past. Irving praised this looking back to ancient traditions. He liked the idea of different levels of society coming together to enjoy a festive and peaceful holiday. Washington Irving seemed to express concern about the lack of such unifying Christmas traditions in modern America.
这些文章描述了一位富有的英国地主邀请他的农场工人到他家庆祝圣诞节。土地所有者重现了一个传统的圣诞节，就像在遥远的过去一样。欧文赞扬了这种对古代传统的回顾。他喜欢不同阶层的人聚在一起，享受节日的欢乐和安宁。华盛顿·欧文似乎表达了对现代美国缺乏这种统一的圣诞节传统的担忧。
Immigrants shape Christmas traditions
移民塑造圣诞传统
Penne Restad wrote a book Christmas in America: A History. It shows how Americans began to slowly shape Christmas into a unifying national holiday during the first half of the 19th century. She describes how Christmas had different meanings for Americans who came from different cultural and religious backgrounds. Many immigrants brought Christmas traditions from their own countries.
Penne Restad写了一本书《美国的圣诞节:一段历史》。它展示了美国人是如何在19世纪上半叶开始慢慢地将圣诞节塑造成一个统一的全国性节日的。她描述了圣诞节对来自不同文化和宗教背景的美国人有不同的意义。许多移民从他们自己的国家带来了圣诞节的传统。
Religion played a big role in how an American might celebrate the holiday. Calvinist Christians banned the celebration of Christmas. But groups such as Episcopalians and Moravians honored the day with religious services and seasonal decorations.
宗教在美国人如何庆祝这个节日中扮演着重要的角色。加尔文主义的基督徒禁止庆祝圣诞节。但圣公会教徒和摩拉维亚教徒等团体以宗教仪式和季节性装饰来纪念这一天。
By mid-century, Christian groups began to ignore their religious differences over the meaning of Christmas and honored the day in special ways.
到本世纪中叶，基督教团体开始忽视他们在圣诞节意义上的宗教分歧，并以特殊的方式纪念这一天。
Christmas became an important time for families to celebrate at home. More and more Christian Americans also began to follow the European traditions of Christmas trees and giving gifts. Christians believed that the tree represented Jesus and was also a sign of new beginnings. German immigrants brought their tradition of putting lights, sweets and toys on the branches of evergreen trees placed in their homes.
圣诞节成为家庭团聚的重要节日。越来越多的美国基督徒也开始遵循欧洲人的圣诞树和赠送礼物的传统。基督徒相信这棵树代表耶稣，也是新开始的标志。德国移民带来了他们在家中常青树的树枝上放灯、糖果和玩具的传统。
This tradition of setting up a Christmas tree soon spread to many American homes. So did the practice of giving people presents. As these traditions increased in popularity, the modern trade and business linked to Christmas also grew.
这种布置圣诞树的传统很快传播到许多美国家庭。赠送礼物的习俗也消失了。随着这些传统越来越受欢迎，与圣诞节有关的现代贸易和商业也在增长。
Christmas as a holiday
圣诞节作为一个节日
As Christmas became more popular, some states declared the day a state holiday. Louisiana was the first state to make the move in 1837. By 1860, 14 other states had followed. It was not until 1870 that President Ulysses Grant made Christmas a federal holiday.
随着圣诞节越来越受欢迎，一些州宣布这一天为国家假日。路易斯安那州是第一个在1837年采取这一行动的州。到1860年，其他14个州也纷纷效仿。直到1870年，尤利西斯·格兰特总统才将圣诞节定为联邦假日。
Americans already knew old Christmas songs that came from England and other areas of Europe. But many new American Christmas songs started to become popular. For example, in eighteen forty-nine, a religious leader from Massachusetts wrote the words to It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.The song Jingle Bells appeared seven years later. And, a year later, a religious leader in Williamsport, Pennsylvania wrote the song We Three Kings of Orient Are.
美国人已经知道来自英国和欧洲其他地区的古老圣诞歌曲。但是许多新的美国圣诞歌曲开始流行起来。例如，在1849年，一位来自马萨诸塞州的宗教领袖写下了这句话:“它来到了一个午夜晴朗的地方。《铃儿响叮当》这首歌在七年后面世。一年后，宾夕法尼亚州威廉斯波特的一位宗教领袖写了《我们三个东方之王》这首歌。
And of course, no discussion of Christmas would be complete without talking about of one of the holiday's most famous representations, Santa Claus.
当然，如果不谈到圣诞节最著名的形象之一——圣诞老人，那么圣诞节的讨论就不完整。
This character is based on the story of Saint Nicholas, a Christian holy person believed to have lived in the third century. Saint Nicholas became known as a protector of children. Different cultures have given him different names. These include Sinterklaas, Kris Kringle and Father Christmas. But for most Americans his most popular name would become Santa Claus.
这个角色是根据圣尼古拉斯的故事改编的，他是一个生活在三世纪的基督教圣人。圣尼古拉斯被称为儿童的保护者。不同的文化给他起了不同的名字。这些人包括圣诞老人、圣诞老人和圣诞老人。但对大多数美国人来说，他最受欢迎的名字是圣诞老人。
In the 19th century, many Dutch immigrants living in the United States celebrated the feast of Saint Nicholas on December 6. Saint Nicholas was especially important to New Yorkers because of their history as a Dutch colony. In 1809, Washington Irving published his History of New York. It lists Saint Nicholas as the patron saint of New Yorkers. He describes the saint wearing a low hat, large pants, and smoking a pipe. Does this description sound familiar?
在19世纪，许多居住在美国的荷兰移民在12月6日庆祝圣尼古拉斯的盛宴。圣尼古拉斯对纽约人来说尤其重要，因为他们曾经是荷兰的殖民地。1809年，华盛顿·欧文出版了他的《纽约史》。它把圣尼古拉斯列为纽约人的守护神。他描述这位圣人戴着低低的帽子，穿着大裤子，抽着烟斗。这种描述听起来耳熟吗?
今天，史蒂夫烬和雪莉格里菲斯提出了一个特别节目在美国的圣诞节传统在19世纪上半叶。
During this period, there was no set way of celebrating the day, which was not yet an official holiday. Communities around the country honored the day in different ways. Some observed Christmas as an important Christian religious day honoring the birth of Jesus. Others celebrated the day with parties, music, drinking and eating. And, some communities did not celebrate the day at all.
在此期间，没有固定的方式来庆祝这一天，这一天还不是一个官方节日。全国各地的社区以不同的方式纪念这一天。有些人认为圣诞节是一个重要的基督教宗教节日，纪念耶稣的诞生。其他人则通过聚会、音乐、喝酒和吃东西来庆祝这一天。而且，一些社区根本不庆祝这一天。
But, it was during this period that Americans began to reinvent the holiday. They combined ancient Christmas traditions from different cultures with modern American influences.
但是，正是在这一时期，美国人开始重新定义这个节日。他们将来自不同文化的古老圣诞节传统与现代美国的影响结合起来。
In 1819, the popular American writer Washington Irving wrote a series of five essays published in a book called The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.
1819年，美国著名作家华盛顿·欧文写了一系列五篇散文，发表在一本名为《根特郡杰弗里·克雷翁的素描本》的书中。
The essays describe a wealthy British landowner who invites his farm workers into his home to celebrate Christmas. The landowner recreates a traditional Christmas as it would have been celebrated in the distant past. Irving praised this looking back to ancient traditions. He liked the idea of different levels of society coming together to enjoy a festive and peaceful holiday. Washington Irving seemed to express concern about the lack of such unifying Christmas traditions in modern America.
这些文章描述了一位富有的英国地主邀请他的农场工人到他家庆祝圣诞节。土地所有者重现了一个传统的圣诞节，就像在遥远的过去一样。欧文赞扬了这种对古代传统的回顾。他喜欢不同阶层的人聚在一起，享受节日的欢乐和安宁。华盛顿·欧文似乎表达了对现代美国缺乏这种统一的圣诞节传统的担忧。
Immigrants shape Christmas traditions
移民塑造圣诞传统
Penne Restad wrote a book Christmas in America: A History. It shows how Americans began to slowly shape Christmas into a unifying national holiday during the first half of the 19th century. She describes how Christmas had different meanings for Americans who came from different cultural and religious backgrounds. Many immigrants brought Christmas traditions from their own countries.
Penne Restad写了一本书《美国的圣诞节:一段历史》。它展示了美国人是如何在19世纪上半叶开始慢慢地将圣诞节塑造成一个统一的全国性节日的。她描述了圣诞节对来自不同文化和宗教背景的美国人有不同的意义。许多移民从他们自己的国家带来了圣诞节的传统。
Religion played a big role in how an American might celebrate the holiday. Calvinist Christians banned the celebration of Christmas. But groups such as Episcopalians and Moravians honored the day with religious services and seasonal decorations.
宗教在美国人如何庆祝这个节日中扮演着重要的角色。加尔文主义的基督徒禁止庆祝圣诞节。但圣公会教徒和摩拉维亚教徒等团体以宗教仪式和季节性装饰来纪念这一天。
By mid-century, Christian groups began to ignore their religious differences over the meaning of Christmas and honored the day in special ways.
到本世纪中叶，基督教团体开始忽视他们在圣诞节意义上的宗教分歧，并以特殊的方式纪念这一天。
Christmas became an important time for families to celebrate at home. More and more Christian Americans also began to follow the European traditions of Christmas trees and giving gifts. Christians believed that the tree represented Jesus and was also a sign of new beginnings. German immigrants brought their tradition of putting lights, sweets and toys on the branches of evergreen trees placed in their homes.
圣诞节成为家庭团聚的重要节日。越来越多的美国基督徒也开始遵循欧洲人的圣诞树和赠送礼物的传统。基督徒相信这棵树代表耶稣，也是新开始的标志。德国移民带来了他们在家中常青树的树枝上放灯、糖果和玩具的传统。
This tradition of setting up a Christmas tree soon spread to many American homes. So did the practice of giving people presents. As these traditions increased in popularity, the modern trade and business linked to Christmas also grew.
这种布置圣诞树的传统很快传播到许多美国家庭。赠送礼物的习俗也消失了。随着这些传统越来越受欢迎，与圣诞节有关的现代贸易和商业也在增长。
Christmas as a holiday
圣诞节作为一个节日
As Christmas became more popular, some states declared the day a state holiday. Louisiana was the first state to make the move in 1837. By 1860, 14 other states had followed. It was not until 1870 that President Ulysses Grant made Christmas a federal holiday.
随着圣诞节越来越受欢迎，一些州宣布这一天为国家假日。路易斯安那州是第一个在1837年采取这一行动的州。到1860年，其他14个州也纷纷效仿。直到1870年，尤利西斯·格兰特总统才将圣诞节定为联邦假日。
Americans already knew old Christmas songs that came from England and other areas of Europe. But many new American Christmas songs started to become popular. For example, in eighteen forty-nine, a religious leader from Massachusetts wrote the words to It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.The song Jingle Bells appeared seven years later. And, a year later, a religious leader in Williamsport, Pennsylvania wrote the song We Three Kings of Orient Are.
美国人已经知道来自英国和欧洲其他地区的古老圣诞歌曲。但是许多新的美国圣诞歌曲开始流行起来。例如，在1849年，一位来自马萨诸塞州的宗教领袖写下了这句话:“它来到了一个午夜晴朗的地方。《铃儿响叮当》这首歌在七年后面世。一年后，宾夕法尼亚州威廉斯波特的一位宗教领袖写了《我们三个东方之王》这首歌。
And of course, no discussion of Christmas would be complete without talking about of one of the holiday's most famous representations, Santa Claus.
当然，如果不谈到圣诞节最著名的形象之一——圣诞老人，那么圣诞节的讨论就不完整。
This character is based on the story of Saint Nicholas, a Christian holy person believed to have lived in the third century. Saint Nicholas became known as a protector of children. Different cultures have given him different names. These include Sinterklaas, Kris Kringle and Father Christmas. But for most Americans his most popular name would become Santa Claus.
这个角色是根据圣尼古拉斯的故事改编的，他是一个生活在三世纪的基督教圣人。圣尼古拉斯被称为儿童的保护者。不同的文化给他起了不同的名字。这些人包括圣诞老人、圣诞老人和圣诞老人。但对大多数美国人来说，他最受欢迎的名字是圣诞老人。
In the 19th century, many Dutch immigrants living in the United States celebrated the feast of Saint Nicholas on December 6. Saint Nicholas was especially important to New Yorkers because of their history as a Dutch colony. In 1809, Washington Irving published his History of New York. It lists Saint Nicholas as the patron saint of New Yorkers. He describes the saint wearing a low hat, large pants, and smoking a pipe. Does this description sound familiar?
在19世纪，许多居住在美国的荷兰移民在12月6日庆祝圣尼古拉斯的盛宴。圣尼古拉斯对纽约人来说尤其重要，因为他们曾经是荷兰的殖民地。1809年，华盛顿·欧文出版了他的《纽约史》。它把圣尼古拉斯列为纽约人的守护神。他描述这位圣人戴着低低的帽子，穿着大裤子，抽着烟斗。这种描述听起来耳熟吗?
